Browsing Through Birke's

When Nathan and Sala (Sally) Birke started their lives in Lowell in the 1940’s, they’d spent years enduring the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. Their story of survival, perseverance, and success comes to life in the witty and poignant documentary "Browsing Through Birke’s," produced and directed with great intimacy by L.A. filmmaker Steven D. Grossman. Nathan and Sally’s daughter Szifra Birke, the film's Associate Producer, also appears in the film, sharing her own recollections of childhood while guiding us through the lives of her mother and father. For those who don’t know anything about downtown Lowell’s Birke’s Department Store, this film will make you wish you had the chance to experience this local phenomenon! But for those who did visit the Market Street landmark — now residential space known as The Birke Building — memories will come flooding back, especially if you were fortunate enough to make it through the doors to browse the countless racks of clothing.